Improvement in supplemental backs for postal-cards



L. DAVIS.

SUPPLEMENTAL BACKS FOR POSTAL CARDS. No.185,630 I Patented Dec. 26,1876.

W I T. .LSSES TH E GRAPHIC COJLY UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

LLEWELLYN DAVIS, OF IRONTON, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN SUPPLEMENTAL BACKS FOR POSTAL-CARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 185,630, dated December26, 1876; application filed September 21, 1875.

plemental back, folded edges, with miter corners and gummed. Fig. 2 is aperspective, showing supplemental back ready to be applied and used uponthe postal-card back. Fig. 3 is a perspective, showing the inner face ofthe supplemental back, with an additional or separate sheet attached toit, and ready for use between the card and supplemental back. Fig. 4 isa plan to show perforated edges of the supplemental back, and generalprocess of removing the said back from the postal-card.

This invention relates to such improvement to be used upon and inconnection with postal-cards, as shall afl'ord larger writingspace,secure more secrecy, and not materially increase the bulk of themissive; and to this end it consists, more particularly, in providing asupplemental. back for said card, having its edges prepared withmucilage, and adapted to be readily applied to the back of said card,all as will now be more in detail set out and explained.

In the drawings, A denotes the supplemental baek, and, according to thepresent mode of illustration, its corners are clipped so that the top,bottom. and side edges will, when folded, miter with each other. The

outer faces of said edges are covered with mucilage a. This supplementalback is of the proper size to fit upon the back of the ordinarypostal-card now sold by the United States Post-Office Department. Such acard is now indicated by B.

In using this supplemental back about the usual amount of writing can beplaced upon the writing-surface of the postal-card, and writing can alsobe placed upon the inner face a of the supplemental back. When thusprepared for sending, the mucilage on the edges of said supplementalback is moistened, and said back is then applied to the back of thepostal-card.

To assist in detaching the supplemental back from the card I design topuncture the edges of the same all around with a series of minute holes,as now shown at a. Thus when a small corner of the card is cut ofl, anda knife-point or pen-tip inserted in this slit, and passed about theedges, the two parts will be readily separated.

For nearly all ordinary correspondence the writing-space afforded by thetwo surfaces, as above explained, will amply suffice. The addition of sosmall a piece of paper to the card will not materially increase itsweight nor cost.

If desired, the supplemental back may be ruled on its inner face;likewise it may sometimes be found of advantage to have connected withsaid supplemental back another strip of paper, of such relative shapeand size as readily to fold in conformity with it and the card, and beheld and contained between the two, when the two are united, as above,or a separate sheet may be so folded as to admit of being placed in andbetween the card and supplemental back, as aforesaid.

It has likewise occurred to me that it might be found desirable by theUnited States Post- Ofiice Department to issue cards in generalcharacter like the present postal-card; but of various sizes, and withrates of postage to correspond; but all of less amount than the rates onletter-packages, according to presentrules.

The advantages of using my improvement on these cards are that theenvelopes would be like to be saved, which, in a business point of view,as for post-office stamps or date of mailing, would sometimes be oflarge moment. They would, by reason of strength and size, fileadmirably, and afford excellent surface for endorsement. The very leastamount of paper necessary for correspondence would be used by adoptionof my invention. Thus the cost of carrying mails would be lessenedconsiderably by the decrease of their weight.

Having thus described my invention, what I consider new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- The supplemental hack for postal or othercards, having folded and gummed edges, their corners cut so as to miter,and provided with perforations along the creases of the folds, allsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

LLEWELLYN DAVIS. Witnesses:

R. F. Taow,

FRANK PEcK.

